The effects of infill patterns on the mechanical properties of 3D printed PLA parts fabricated by FDM

Meltem Eryildiz

The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of the infill pattern on the mechanical properties of 3D printed PLA parts. Polylactic acid (PLA) parts were fabricated by fused deposition modeling (FDM) at various infill patterns at 30% infill density. Five different infill patterns (stars, 3D honeycomb, honeycomb, gyroid, Hilbert curve) have been investigated. The results have shown that the honeycomb infill pattern exhibited the highest mechanical properties with 29.43 MPa and 2.04 mm elongation due to the improved strength of the strut junctions in this pattern. In the case of the Hilbert curve pattern, compared to the other patterns, though they have the same infill density, tensile strength was lowest because of the presence of large air gaps in the pattern that induced rapid fracture during the test. The optical microscope images of the fracture surfaces were compatible with the tensile strength results. Also considering the build time and the spent filament, it can be said that the honeycomb infill pattern is very promising. Lastly, the results showed that the tensile strength and elongation of 3D printed PLA parts increased 43.4% and 32%, respectively, under optimum infill pattern conditions. The findings of this study will help manufacturing firms and researchers to decide on the appropriate infill pattern, so that FDM parts can be fabricated with minimal production cost and good mechanical properties.

fused deposition modeling

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